Eda

This is a memory from a man with black hair and black eyes.

He was born into a noble knight family, but he could not have a normal life as a family member because he had black hair and pupils. These were the characteristics of the "demon's child" in traditional superstitions, and he suffered discrimination and bullying from his mother and brothers since he was young.

However, his father was a noble knight. The nobility and stubbornness that came from being a "knight" made his father not believe in superficial judgments based on superstitions, and the care that came from being a "father" helped him see that his son with black hair and black pupils was a very kind and simple person.

He also hoped to become a great and glorious knight like his father and wanted to take on the responsibilities that he, as a descendant of a knight family, should bear and contribute to his father.

One day, the smoke rose and the horn sounded, meaning that another war had begun.

The black-haired boy, full of longing for knights and admiration for his father, wanted to follow his father to the battlefield, and with the skills he had practiced since he was young, contribute a small amount of help to his father.

But his mother repeatedly said, "You, this demon, will bring him endless misfortune! You will kill him on a battlefield already full of danger!" and firmly opposed his idea...

In the end, his father still gave his life for the honor of the knight.

The grief-stricken mother poured all her prejudices against him like a volcanic eruption. He became the most direct and seemingly reasonable object of her venting under extreme sadness of losing her husband, "Everything is because of you! You, this demon with black hair and black pupils, bring disaster, misfortune, death... All the suffering of this family and this country is because of you!"

The memory ends with the black-haired boy being labeled as a "demon" and mercilessly "dealt with" by his mother.

The memory ends here...

The difficulty of this operation is not low. It is necessary to take the life of "Eda" while facing the priests and judges of the Holy See at the same time. Even if the Holy See has lost a lot of combat power during the Dark Ages, it cannot be confronted by a single person. Even as one of the "Seven Heroes," he cannot guarantee success.

"Every time I team up with you, I am very angry. Every time we transport these unbelievably heavy things, the volume is too large to hide, and the key is that it is just too heavy! Do you know that it took all of us to barely lift this thing here?" The "transportation personnel" in front of the black-haired man was a black-market merchant who had long been responsible for this type of business. The group of people who could bring you anything as long as you paid the money were these black-market merchants. Of course, this time they were completely used as porters.

This black bladeless giant sword, known as "Black Iron," is extremely heavy. Although it is called a sword, it has no blade and is the most difficult weapon to understand and transport. And this time, two black irons need to be transported. No wonder he is angry.

This is a room rented by the black-haired man in a hotel. The huge boxes inside are all kinds of weapons, all prepared to deal with immigration inspections.

"Continue." He casually threw a bag of gold coins, about seventy coins, which is the reward for this mission. Although it was several times more than necessary, for these black market merchants who only care about money, this is the best way to prevent them from betraying.

"Hehe, you really live up to the title of the 'Seven Heroes,' always extravagant. Please teach us more next time."

After receiving the money, the group of unscrupulous merchants who had previously made them carry heavy objects seemed to forget their anger and left the room with their gains. The troublesome guy also left, and then it was time to prepare.

The black-haired man placed the two black iron giant swords from the box aside, and then tied the four strap-style belts inside the cloak. He secured seven daggers, three short swords, and necessary tools such as grappling hooks in the buckles. Finally, he divided the poison that could be applied to weapons into two parts, one hidden in a separate pocket in his sleeve, and the other hidden in his collar.

"You don't need to bring any weapons with you."

The black-haired man looked at the petite girl sitting on the bed beside him. Her waist-length silver hair, almost transparent pale skin, and striking red eyes, supported by her fair skin, made her look like a delicate and cute doll.

"Okay."

As one of the "tools" of the black-haired man, she would always follow him, even during battles, standing by his side. However, she had no fighting ability, so in general, it was necessary to give her some basic self-defense weapons. But this time was different. Even if she had weapons, she could not be a match for anyone from the Church. So it was better to make her more lightweight.

"Get rid of everything that's unnecessary on you. I don't want to be dragging meaningless things when we retreat."

The girl had many items that the black-haired man and she needed for their daily lives, such as a pocket watch and other small objects. However, due to the importance of this mission, it was best to leave behind any items that could potentially be a disadvantage.

"Okay."

With emotionless and brief responses, the girl took off her dress and other items all at once... in an instant, her bare snow-white body was exposed in front of the man.

"You should still wear your clothes. They're not 'unnecessary things.'"

The man was slightly helpless, and he draped the dress that had been placed on the bed over her.

Then, he walked over to the two giant swords that had been placed aside from the beginning. What he needed was not the two giant swords but the material that made up these swords - black iron. This special metal had excellent acceptability to magic, and using its powder to construct a ritual array was the best choice.

(Second formation activated, target material - metal, operating technique - Type 1), "Alchemy - Decomposition."

The giant sword that came into contact with the black-haired man was visibly decomposed into powder at a rapid speed and compressed into highly purified small crystals - this was "alchemy." This power, released through the laws of the world, was a "paranormal ability" forbidden by the Holy See.

The black-haired man stood up, with the highly purified powder stored on his person. "Alright, let's go," he said.

The group of dishonest merchants who had not yet left seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when they saw the black-haired man leave the inn. No one knew the strength of this man better than those who worked with him regularly - he was not human, but a monster, one of the "Seven Heroes" who had survived the countless other heroes of that "Dark Age"...

If they did anything that showed hostility towards him, even death - something people fear - would become a luxury...

...

The distribution of cities in the Telvis Empire was very simple, expanding outward in a circular shape. The center was the Holy See's temple, the next ring was the residence of the priests, and the outermost ring was the residential area.

The altar was a facility belonging to the Holy See. Its location was near the cathedral, with twelve tall towers surrounding it like guardian gods. This spectacular facility made it extremely easy for the black-haired man to find his destination.

The altar is a place similar to ancient ruins covered with many strange plants, where old buildings naturally blend with vegetation, and towering god statues with cracks sit around. Every year at this time, many people gather here to pray for rain and to see Eda.

This is the best time to distract the attention of the church, undoubtedly the best time to act.

It is just a few minutes before the rain prayer begins. The area around the altar is already crowded with people, and despite the efforts of the church's knights to maintain order, they cannot stop the enthusiasm of the people for Eda.

The black-haired man who has been through many battles is standing with Eve behind the neck of a giant statue. It is not far from the altar and not easily discovered by others, as his specially trained vision barely allows him to see the center of the altar, and ordinary knights and priests cannot catch him with their eyes.

Casually swallowing a bitter pill to refresh himself, he is monitoring the center of the altar like a scarecrow.

Three minutes before the start, two rows of knights in gold-inlaid armor formed a formation similar to a ritual around the center of the altar, kneeling on one knee.

Although the distance is too far to confirm the crest on the knight's body, from the gold-inlaid armor and half-red cloak alone, it can be distinguished that this is the strongest knight order in the church.

-What kind of ability does Eda have that makes the church attach so much importance to her?

This is what the black-haired man cannot help but think about.

Whether it is the crowded scene around the altar or the size of this knight order.

At this moment, the knights behind the altar made way for a path. The surrounding crowd's noise also disappeared. It seemed that the rain prayer was about to begin, or rather, the main act was about to appear.

He looked towards where everyone's gaze was focused. The first thing that caught his eye were the six grand bishops walking neatly at the front of the procession. Each bishop had a serious expression and a dignified gait, exuding a powerful aura.

On the left side of the queue was a great figure that no one in this era did not know—the Saint "Ulopolos". It was said that he was the one who established the holy stone monument to protect the city. It was also rumored that he had been alive for several thousand years, an unadulterated old monster.

On the right side of the queue was a majestic man known as the "Holy King", who held a long staff and wore heavy armor. He was the founder of the church.

Behind them was the protagonist of this rain prayer. The moment the girl with pale blue hair appeared, the whole world seemed to freeze.

The black-haired man's reaction was the same. When she came into his sight, he almost lost his breath and words.

She was a girl that one would never forget after just one glance. Her pale blue hair was as beautiful as a gemstone, her snow-white skin was delicate and her bright blue eyes were more striking against her fair complexion. There were simply no words that could describe her, as if any word used to describe her was an insult to her.

She was "Eda", there was no doubt about it, the black-haired man thought.

But...why were there two black knights full of killing intent standing around this girl, and why were there silver chains wrapped around her wrists and ankles?

As the black-haired man puzzled over this, the rain prayer officially began. The girl with blue hair gently lifted her white dress and knelt in the center of the altar, closing her eyes and singing.

The moment her gentle and melodious voice rang out, even the black-haired man who had been in a state of constant vigilance couldn't help but relax. Her singing was like a soft and transparent jade, a clear and bottomless stream, a pure and profound sky. Her voice was ethereal and clear, as if washing people's souls like morning dew.

It made everyone unconsciously lose their composure...the sky seemed to be moved by her singing, and fine raindrops began to fall.

"How is this possible..."

The black-haired man couldn't believe it. In this "godless world", wasn't this rain prayer just a superstitious activity? Why did it really have the effect of bringing rain? Who was that girl...

However, no matter who she was, his purpose on this trip was to "eliminate" her...to see his beloved person again, failure was not an option.

"Target confirmed, commence operation."

As soon as the words were spoken, the black-haired man and the petite girl disappeared into the fine rain.